2020 AHRA Rulebook

AHRA 2020 RULE BOOK AND TECH GUIDE MESSAGE FROM THE CEO The 3rd Season…it seems just like yesterday that I was kicking this whole thing off for the sixth iteration of the resurrection of Americas most beloved sanctioning body, the American Hot Rod Association. I always have difficulty putting pen to paper and getting my point across with the messages I try and drive home. It’s not just a “writing it” issue or the wording, it’s usually that I will write it and do not like the outcome. Things like this take time and thought to be meaningful so that the reader does not lose interest. This year I’ll try and make it straight to the point without losing direction. When we started this trip of resurrecting the organization all the odds were against us surviving the first year, but due to the tremendous racer, fans and likeminded enthusiasts support we are still standing to deliver the 3rd year of fantastic Sportsman Drag Racing. I can definitely see where my friends and family had their reservations but felt there needed to be something better in the world of Sportsman Drag Racing than was currently available. It could have been my personal conviction, a better point of view or just plain stubbornness but either way here we are in Season Three! This season I would like to chat about the “Kinda New” Heads Up Classes we have brought online, the continuance of Performance Based Payouts, the streamlining of the Index Classes and the Renaming of our Bracket Classes. We would like to thank North Iowa Dragway, The Big Island Auto Club, Jeffers Motorsports Park and our newly signed Northeast Dragway for partnering with us this year. Without us, the racers and the tracks…we would not be able to have a season 3, so give yourselves a pat on the back and lets hope for a successful season of Sportsman Racing! ! 1! First! We decided to bring a few beloved sportsman classes back from the dead… to right a few historical wrongs! We felt that they have both helped the growth of Sportsman racing when the classes were in their prime and wanted to reconnect that passion with our current racers and fans. Modified and Pro-Comp Classes were in their heyday some of the largest and most spectator friendly classes hosted by all sanctioning bodies. The evolvement of the sport saw the demise of these classes and they were pseudo-absorbed into other classes that really did not pay their respects to the previous class nor the fans of those classes. We decided that we could resurrect these beloved classes to fill a previous void from when they were discontinued or forgotten. What we have done is to take some of the best pieces of each class and add our own twist on them to make sure we can maintain them as Sportsman Only Classes. The evolution of these classes were ultimately their demise but knowing now what we did not know then is our advantage to hopefully keep these classes attainable by the blue collar hard working racer. Next, the continuance of Performance Based Payouts. These have been a hit among the Sportsman crowd and its no surprise. Who does not like bonus money for doing more work? Like the rulebook says, it’s to create a circumstance where man is pitted against machine similar to Ol’ John Henry and we like the concept. Every job where more effort and skill is required pays more, so why not Drag Racing? Bracket and Index Classes take surgeon like skill and precision…why not pay like it? There is no other sanctioning body paying for this display of skill and we wonder…why not? Every association member increases the payout so get out there and solicit memberships for friends, neighbors and racers across the board! It only means more payout for you, the Racer. We also allow day of memberships at the events where you can join for the day for $25 and take our money when you win. The difference is the day of membership does not allow for a whole season of eligibility, receives no merchandise, it’s just the one race… but it does increase the payout by the $25 entry for that class. If you consider a combined win with a perfect run bonus, any single racer could be eligible to take home more “ON TOP” money from the AHRA than the track payout is worth. It’s a no brainer and a definite benefit for a $50 annual membership. Third, we have streamlined the Index and Bracket classes this season. All index classes are now broken at ½ second intervals and are similar to what is being ran at every small track across the country. We started at 5.00 and went all the way to 7.50 Index. Remember we don’t allow throttle stops in index classes but encourage participation in the classes by offering ! 2! Performance Based Payouts for those foot brakers and gear bangers! This will be the first season that we offer AHRA Index Classes at individual races and it will all be dependent upon your tracks availability and willingness to participate. If you want index classes, chat with your tracks! Lastly, this season we streamlined our bracket class names to make it as simple as possible. There was so much confusion on our class names of Top Eliminator and Sportsman that we decided to pull out all the heritage and standard commonplace names and went with what was simple. Box and No Box Classes are exactly the same as they were last year but eliminate the confusion during buybacks of racers wanting to be in Top Sportsman Class. We tried to simplify the whole process for you! We have also started rolling out more of our fun events, like Match Race Madness. It was a great success at North Iowa Dragway last year, so we have added one to the schedule at Jeffers Motorsports Park for all the Bootheel racers to enjoy the one and only heads up, best of 3 for the common racer. Next season we will try and expand it even further! Sincerely, Dallas Brown, CEO AHRA ! 3! THE BASICS OF DRAG RACING What is a drag race? The sport of drag racing is an acceleration contest between two vehicles racing from a standing start over a straight racecourse. A drag racing event is made up of a series of individual two-vehicle races called eliminations, with competing machines divided into a variety of classes. Class eligibility is governed by criteria that limit engine size, type of fuel, vehicle weight, allowable modifications, and aerodynamics. A set of lights, commonly called a “Christmas Tree,” is used at the starting line. There is a .4-second difference between the flash of all the amber lights and the flash of the green light in the Pro start system. In handicap racing, the amber lights illuminate individually, with a .5-second difference between the last amber and the green. Upon leaving the starting line, each contestant activates a timer, which is then stopped when his or her vehicle reaches the finish line. The start-to-finish clocking is the vehicle’s elapsed time (e.t.), which serves to measure performance and often to determine handicaps during competition. Virtually anyone can compete in drag racing. Drivers must have a valid state or government issued driver’s license beyond a learner’s permit level or, in some cases, an AHRA / NHRA / IHRA competition license and must be capable of the safe operation of the vehicle. The vehicle must meet basic safety criteria (brakes, seat belt, etc.). This applies to most street-type vehicles. Faster, all out race cars must meet more stringent requirements as outlined throughout this AHRA Rulebook. ! 4! It is essential for every participant to understand this fundamental rule of drag racing: Prime responsibility for the safe condition and operation of a vehicle in competition rests with the vehicle owner, driver, and crewmembers. The track operator’s main concern is to provide a place to conduct events. AHRA produces guidelines based on experience and circulates information to help perpetuate the sport. Close observance of the standards set forth in this Rulebook is required for all participants, including owners, drivers, and crewmembers. However, drag racing is dangerous. Therefore, no express or implied warranty of safety is created from publication of or compliance with AHRA rules, nor does compliance with AHRA rules guarantee against injury or death to participants, spectators, or others. Though some choose to race vehicles they build to certain specifications to fit into a certain AHRA class (outlined elsewhere in this Rulebook), an ever-growing number of racers choose to compete on a local level in categories divided on the basis of performance, or e.t. (elapsed time), brackets. This form of drag racing offers a good starting point for the novice wishing to become involved in the sport. Thousands of drag racers enjoy E.T. handicap racing, which allows drivers in slower vehicles to compete on an equal basis with drivers of quicker and faster machines. The performance predictions for all vehicles are compared, and the slower car receives an advantage at the start equal to the difference between the vehicles’ anticipated E.T. For example, a vehicle with a dial-in of 15.00 will have a 2-second head start over a vehicle with a dial-in of 13.00. With this system, virtually any two vehicles can be paired in a competitive drag race.

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